The Preachers Africa Needs (TARIF 262)

Posted on June 25, 2026 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Brino Kumwenda

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

A Church Growth Movement article lists the top pastors in Africa. Among others, the list is peppered with the name-brand false teachers such as Shepherd Bushiri, AKA Major 1 and Enoch Adeboye, AKA Daddy G.O, standing for General Overseer. Judging by their monikers, these are men concerned more with being praised by the sheep than feeding the sheep with biblical preaching.

Biblical preaching not only prepares people to go to heaven but also shapes them to live as law-abiding and productive citizens. Many people in Africa profess to be Christians, but their faith does not shape their lives. True preaching produces reformation, not only in the Church, but also in society.

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Divorce Disqualifies Boshoff & Co.

Posted on March 12, 2026 by Paul Schlehlein

— Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

“Stay out of my private life!” We expect to hear that in the world, but not in the church. Unsaved professionals might live a two-faced, double life – shining in public, while masking a home life in shambles. But if there is any one place, amidst this world of lies, where we expect integrity and honesty, it is God’s house, “the pillar and support of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).

That’s why we are rightly angered and dismayed every time we hear of hypocrites in the pulpit. In recent years in Africa, there have been an appalling number of public scandals of high-profile preachers who are now biblically disqualified by divorce, yet they refused to step down or soon returned to the pulpit: Ray McCauley; Chris Oyakhilome; Enoch Phiri; Joshua Iginla; Aloysius Bugingo, and the shameful list of villains goes on and on.

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The Sin of African Time

Posted on September 2, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Every culture shares its own set of strengths and weaknesses. The West, for example, is infatuated with the sins of materialism and entertainment, whereas Muslim nations more easily embrace transgressions like polygamy.

Christian Worldview

As a general principle, a nation that’s been influenced by Christianity will enjoy more strengths in its culture than those countries affected by paganism and false religions. This is because the gospel changes a man’s destiny and his deeds, his future and his feats, his end and his endeavours. Christianity isn’t a mere accessory in one’s life, like a spoiler on the back of a sports car. Rather, Christianity is a worldview that drives a person’s life, like the engine in a pick-up truck.

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Review: Tiyo Soga

Posted on February 5, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

Ferdie Mulder and Ivette Coetsee, IRSA, 207 pages, 4 of 5 stars

Last year my four oldest children memorized the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I grew up in a Christian home where, by God’s grace, my parents forced my sister and me to memorize hundreds of verses. I use “forced” on purpose because that’s really what they did and you won’t hear a peep of complaint from me. I only wish they would have pressed us to learn more.

But catechisms, sadly, were absent in our spiritual formation. Fast forward to today. As my wife and I catechized our children, we were learning right along with them. Question 64 struck me: “What is required in the fifth commandment?” Answer: “The fifth commandment requires preserving the honor…belonging to…superiors.” Often, this means honoring parents, but not always. “Superiors” also include Christian heroes, like the character of this biography, Tiyo Soga.

Overview

Ferdie Mulder and Ivette Coetsee pen the life story of Tiyo Soga (1829-1871) to help Christians obey the fifth commandment. I had never heard of Soga before but for those who have, you may only remember him as a leader of black nationalism in South Africa. But this mischaracterizes the man. He was first a Christian, family man, pastor, translator, missionary, theologian, and hymn writer. Continue reading →

Should Churches Be Self-Supporting, or Even Talk About Money?

Posted on January 9, 2025 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Tim Cantrell

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Everyone can see that the brain drain has dealt a heavy blow to Africa. Skilled professionals emigrate overseas, while locally the working class are forced to leave their villages for our African cities in search of work, as our continent continues to urbanise. All of these factors severely impact churches and their income. Recent news told of a local pastor having “sleepless nights” because of losing so many faithful givers in his church to emigration. While there are many causes of brain drain, my aim here is simply to answer two practical, related questions: (a) ‘How important is it for churches to be self-supporting?’; (b) ‘How should churches respond to a financial crisis?’

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Whatever Happened To The Lord’s Day

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In the Southern African country of Zimbabwe, Harare lies as a rapidly growing capital city that is bursting at the seams. Many years ago the population was officially estimated at 2 million. A few more censuses have been taken since then, but it is hard to come up with the true figure as the Government of the land is inadequately resourced to effectively carry out a successful census of the people of Harare, not to mention Zimbabwe! The population is something to behold, especially on Sundays. Yes, that’s correct, on Sundays!

Normally, weekdays in big cities are characterised by the hooting of cars and the calling out of touts who are either selling oranges and apples or directing the masses to their ‘ride home’. The CBD sounds like a symphony of migrating bees, there isn’t much space to maneuver and everyone is in a rush to get somewhere. Sadly, this too is the status quo of Harare on a Sunday. When the rest of us are coming from gathering with the Lord’s people, the CBD is busier than ever. I could be accused of making sweeping statements or judging wrongly, but based on what has been happening on the ground, the hoards of Hararians are not coming from church, but are trading! In other words, for many people, the best day to go for any sort of shopping is a Sunday.

I suggest two possible contributing factors for this:

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Do African Churches Send Missionaries?

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Seth Meyers

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Mission boards

A mission board is an organization that gathers together numerous missionaries and helps them with technical details like visas, finances, and networks of like-minded churches. Churches in the USA have started numerous mission boards sending out hundreds and even thousands of missionaries from America to different nations of the world.

Roughly 64% of Americans claim to be Christian today which represents about 200 million adults. It is difficult to get precise numbers, but an estimated 60,000 Bible-believing, full-time missionaries are currently living and serving in other countries having been sent from the US.

200 million people sending 60,000 missionaries.

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The Pitfalls of Paternalism: Why Foreign Funds Kill African Churches

Posted on September 24, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Paul Schlehlein

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

What would happen if foreign funds to African churches suddenly stopped? Suppose that tomorrow God shut off the massive monetary pipeline flowing from the West to the pastors and Christian workers on the Dark Continent? Would the church sink or swim?

The immediate consequences would be severe because wealthy nations have pumped billions of dollars into Africa for decades. It has become a way of life. None of the top 30 foreign aid contributors come from Africa, though six of the top fifteen recipients of foreign aid are African nations. In 2017, the United States gave $34 billion in foreign aid, including $1 billion to Ethiopia, $887 million to South Sudan and $600 million to South Africa.

Wealthy foreign nations have failed to learn that foreign aid will never help a country if the conditions for economic growth do not exist. This is why the cycle of giving never ends. Sadly, wealthy churches have not learned this lesson either. Though the numbers are not as high as foreign aid, churches from the West drive millions of dollars into African churches to support their pastors and ministries.

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The Pandemic That Is Still With Us

Posted on September 17, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Joe Shoko

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Human beings are prone to amnesia, and the famous former German monk, Martin Luther, summarized our condition well by saying the following words, “We need to hear the Gospel every day because we forget it every day.” This is true especially when it comes to the aggressive growth of the pandemic that is still with us – The charismatic movement. The true Church of Christ, for many reasons, seems to forget that we are in a holy war, the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is at stake. Presently, Africa is believed to be the centre of missions in the world. Whilst the US is fast abandoning its Christian heritage for liberalism, Europe is equally on a similar path with churches closing down.

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Sanctified Ubuntu: Loving One Another

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Jonathan Klimek

The audio version of this article is available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

In our world, where individualism often overshadows community, the African philosophy of Ubuntu offers profound wisdom. Rooted in the Nguni Bantu languages, Ubuntu translates to “I am because we are,” capturing the essence of interconnectedness and shared humanity.

Ubuntu teaches us that our humanity is intertwined with that of others. It calls us to a depth of care and concern for one another that goes beyond surface-level interactions. Paul echoes this sentiment in Romans 12:15–16, where he calls us to empathy, unity, and humility that demand not just mere presence but full emotional, spiritual, and sacrificial involvement in each other’s lives.

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Church Planting Methods, St. Paul’s Or Ours?

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Malamulo Chindongo

Audio version of this article available here: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

I have often said that Africa has so many churches that you can buy two for a penny. Despite the numerous churches we see around us, it seems to me that there is very little impact on our communities. I am concerned with the lack of growth and maturity among many who carry their Bibles every Sunday morning but don’t seem to learn from them, let alone read them. Churches are being planted daily on the continent of Africa, especially in the era of self-appointed pastors and prophets.

Rolland Allen, wrote the book, ‘Missionary Methods, St. Paul’s Or Ours?’ Rolland was puzzled at the way his denomination and others around him were going about church planting overseas. He was not convinced that it was being done God’s way. I too, have concerns with my fellow African church planters; hence my adaptation of Rolland Allen’s title, ‘Church-Planting Methods, St. Paul’s Or Ours?’

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Resolved to Rejoice in Sunday Evenings

Posted on January 11, 2024 by Paul Schlehlein

–– Tim Cantrell

Listen and subscribe: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.

Dear Christian friend – as we prayerfully plan for 2024, with our long lists (actual or mental) of goals and resolutions, where does Sunday night church fit in? Thanks to American pragmatism (the church growth, seeker-friendly movement) and rampant secularism, evening worship services have largely vanished. It is a once-holy habit that has now almost disappeared in today’s Christianity. One pastor remarks, “…It can be downright difficult to get the family out the door once on a Sunday, not to mention twice; and your neighbours will be convinced that you’re crazy for doing it.”

Here are five reasons our churches must recapture Sunday evening services:

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